personifications
Giving things humanity
Personifications are instances of giving human qualities, emotions, or intentions to nonhuman things—animals, objects, abstract concepts, or forces of nature.
When someone says the wind whispered through the trees or justice is blind, they're using personification.
The term also refers to people who perfectly embody a quality: She is the personification of grace.
In literature and art, personifications appear as characters representing abstractions, like Death as a cloaked figure or Lady Liberty.
Attributing personality to things
- incarnationQuality given bodily presence
- embodimentConcrete manifestation of idea
- avatarDigital user representation
- manifestationOutward display of something
epitome · quintessence · exemplar · archetype · paragon · icon · representation · typification
Worshipped supernatural beings
- godsSupernatural beings worshipped
- goddessesDivine feminine beings
- GaiaPrimordial earth deity
- Father TimePersonification of aging
Mother Nature · Death · Justice · Lady Luck · Fortune · Nemesis · Fates · Muses
Symbolic tale with deeper meaning
- pathetic fallacyNature given human feelings
- fableMoral tale with animals
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
- metaphorImplied identity comparison
Government as a man
- BritanniaPersonified island nation
- MarianneFrench national allegory
- John BullEnglish national personification
- Mother RussiaPersonified Russian nation
Lady Liberty · Columbia · national symbol · cultural icon · mascot
anthropomorphism
Attributing personality to things
- incarnationQuality given bodily presence
- embodimentConcrete manifestation of idea
- avatarDigital user representation
manifestation · epitome · quintessence · exemplar · archetype · paragon · icon · representation · typification · model
deities
Worshipped supernatural beings
Father Time · Mother Nature · Death · Justice · Lady Luck · Fortune · Nemesis · Fates · Muses · angel
allegory
Symbolic tale with deeper meaning
- pathetic fallacyNature given human feelings
- fableMoral tale with animals
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
metaphor · narrative device · apostrophe · moral tale · animism
Uncle Sam
Government as a man
- BritanniaPersonified island nation
- MarianneFrench national allegory
- John BullEnglish national personification
Mother Russia · Lady Liberty · Columbia · national symbol · cultural icon · mascot
grimace
Twisted expression of displeasure
scowl · sneer · gaze · glare · grin · wince · pout · leer · beam
personificationsobjectifications
Treating as mere objects
dehumanizations · abstractions · mechanizations · conceptualizations
personificationsplain language
Easily understood communication